Thursday, January 9, 2014

Blog Tour, Review, Excerpts, and Giveaway: Rook by Monica MacDonald

rook updated
Book Title: Rook

Author: Stella MacDonald

Publish Date:  November 21st, 2013

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal














Plot:  Could you be the monster to save who you love?

Two women, separated by generations, must leave what they know to start a new life. Seventeen-year-old Kate's senior year is ruined when she's moved from the only home she's ever known. After an isolating month alone in her apartment, school starts, but neither her classmates nor her teacher are who they seem. Kali, a single mother living in the nineteenth century wilds of Montana, is stalked by a malicious past. She fights to keep her daughter safe while her freedom is threatened by her less than benevolent benefactor. Both find love, and with it hope, but that is quickly ripped away as one woman must learn the lessons of the other -- before it's too late to save either.

Why I Read this Book: I received a copy of this book for review purposes as part of a blog tour hosted by I'm a Reader, Not A Writer with permission from the author.  This in no way influenced my review.

Review


This book had me interested form the beginning.  With a mix of contemporary and paranormal young adult writing, I was intrigued by the plot from the beginning.  The mystery of what was happening was enthralling.  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the writing style.  I thought the ending was incredibly strange, but I enjoyed how strange and unique the ending was.  Spoiler: I did not enjoy that the story included reincarnation and magic. 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age:  Any

Overall Rating:  4/5

Buy it on Amazon:amazon blog




Praise for Rook


"This book also drew me in. I couldn't let go of what was happening and when life intervened and forced me to close my computer I kept looking for a few moments to sit down and read some more.” Brookeworm, a Blog 4 Stars

"Rook had me hooked from the first page. It all started so mysteriously that I just had to know what it was all about. “ Jannat Bhat, Obsessive Compulsive Reader 4 Stars

“Rook is an amazing story that had me at the edge of my seat.” Tee Loves Kyle Jacobson Blog, 5 Stars


Rook copy2



Monica MAuthor Stella MacDonald

Stella is a married graduate student with three boys. Utah is home right now, but the need to wander has extended beyond the fantasy world of writing and into real life. She's lived all around the US and even into the Middle East. The world is really a small place, only made bigger through imagination.















Blog Tour Giveaway


$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 1/24/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway





Excerpts


Excerpt 1

Is that him? Is he back?

My legs jerked, kicking and twitching me around to face the sound. I managed to roll slightly, knocking against a soft, solid object at my feet. It grunted weakly, and immediately I recoiled as though I had been bitten. Squinting, I stared, willing my eyes to find light in the dark, but there was nothing.

The sound of the runner drew closer, as if they would trample me any moment. A dim, swaying light appeared through the trees, burning away the inky edges of the deep shadows. When light and sound were almost upon me, branches above me snapped, spraying me in a shower of dried pine needles and snow.


Except 2:

Sean’s dark eyes had not been distracted from mine for a moment. I blushed under the heat of his watch, brushing a nervous hand through my hair. I wondered how long it would be before I could stop turning red every time I felt something.

"I really thought it was just me," I said, needing to fill the silence. "I didn't think you would feel the same way."

"No," he admitted, "It's not been just you for a long time." He kissed my forehead and then turned back to the trail, this time leading me by the hand.

All our lives, there was him, and there was me, and then there was that third being that was us. We had fed that friendship and helped it grow, but it was always just a friendship that remained as familiar to us as we were to ourselves. Now, the us had changed completely. I felt like it was a bigger, more beautiful thing, and it frightened me in a delicious, hopeful way.

Excerpt 3

“Sean.”

My finger ran softly over my lips, remembering just how they felt pressed gently against Sean’s mouth. The small, intense thrill that raced through me felt like it might cleave me apart.

From nowhere, doubt wormed its unwelcome fingers into my mind, forcing my eyes open to face some ugly possibilities. Did Sean feel the same now as he did last night? Or, had he just been caught up in the moment? I ached at the possibility, and instantly thought of a million ways to convince him he was wrong. But what if I couldn’t convince him?

He might have changed his mind, but maybe he was surer than ever, I reminded myself, shoring up my resolve. I considered my old standby of just wait and see. I could give him space; let him decide the next move, but I dismissed the idea almost instantly. This time, I wasn't going to give in like I always did, even if Sean was having second thoughts. Today, I decided, I was going to be brave.

Mine.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Eve Hallows Book Blast and Giveaway

Today, I am doing a book blast of the Eve Hallows Series.  I am currently reading this series and I will have a review of the series out soon as part of a blog tour!  Below are the summaries of these books and their praise.  Also, there is a giveaway at the bottom of the post! :)


eve hallows shivers
EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHIVERS (BOOK 3)

So far, Eve's summer vacation has been uneventful, but when her grandparents—traveling all the way from the monster world known as Gravesville—appear at her doorstep, she learns that the URNS Director has gone missing. Worse, a new director, bent on destroying humans, has taken over URNS.

Eve and her family are no longer safe in the human world, and as they race to escape this new threat, Eve stumbles into a trap, which forces her back to Gravesville along with her family and friends. But once there, everything goes adorably wrong, and her best chance to get out of this mess is to seek out The Book of Shivers and the elusive author Sedrick Creach—the only creature who knows the secrets of the Nightmare Books. Unfortunately for Eve, searching for Sedrick and the next book in the series will reveal uncomfortable details about her own murky past.

Once again, Eve and her friends find themselves on an incredible adventure—one that involves underground battles with bloodthirsty creatures, a lightning-fueled train, and some unexpected new allies.

Hilarious and bone-chilling, this third book continues the story of an unlikely hero trying to save not one, but two worlds … This time around, though, Eve's not sure she can even save herself.

EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS (BOOK 1)
For fourteen-year-old Eve Hallows, life can be summed up in one word—horrible. She has the most horrible friends. She lives in a horrible old castle. Even her family is a bunch of horrible monsters.

However, in the monster-inhabited world of Gravesville—a world where messages are sent through Ouija boards, jack-o’-lanterns get facials to suit their moods, and the worst thing Eve has to deal with are those annoying zombie tourists who overrun her favorite graveyard during the Halloween season—horrible means wonderful. And everything for Eve is perfectly horrible.

But her life is about to go head over heels when a mysterious group known as The Source starts terrorizing Gravesville. Now she must move to the human world—where everything is opposite ... and for Eve, that's absolutely adorable!




Praise for Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks:

"Move over, Neil Gaiman’s CORALINE and THE GRAVEYARD BOOK … make room, Lemony Snicket’s A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS … you’ve got company and competition for shelf space!" -- THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW"WOW! What an absolutely horrible book (horrible meaning fantastic!) ... This book was laugh out loud funny. I loved when Mom accidentally turned people to stone. Dad's crazy attempts at running a pizza store were just hysterical." -- KIDS 'N' BOOKS

"This is the perfect book to be read aloud, read at night under the covers or simply devoured in one sitting. Robert Gray’s Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks simply shines with all of its fun creepiness, compelling characters and stellar writing. A MUST read for any MG fan!" -- WORD SPELUNKING

"Eve Hallows is highly imaginative without being too complex for its target audience. Fall in love with Eve, her friends and her family of adorable monsters. Lose yourself in a light read that will remind you of those days when your English teacher just want you to read something, anything. This book is it. The one that you wish you read when you were in grade school." -- JOYOUS READS

"Overall, this book was fantastic. It presents an admirable role model as well as a strong family unit which will benefit young readers. When so many books right now have presented teens in a not-so-flattering light, it is so wonderful to find a book like this one." -- BOOK COVER JUSTICE

EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHADOWS (BOOK 2)
Ever since encountering The Source and its minions on Halloween, Eve Hallows has found life surprisingly quiet … not to mention adorably boring! So when Dad receives a Ouija message that she must return to Gravesville, Eve couldn't be happier—at least until she discovers the Director of URNS, also known as the Grim Reaper, has a special job for Eve … one that will lead her to New York City and to the true identity of The Source.With The Book of Shrieks offering zero help and a new URNS agent driving the school boys—and Eve!—crazy, Eve's beginning to realize this whole saving-the-world nonsense isn't what it's cracked up to be.All this and she still has to find The Book of Shadows....









Praise for Eve Hallows and the Book of Shadows:

"This book was perfectly horrible! Horrible meaning amazingly awesome, of course. Eve's world once again sucked me in and would not let go until this part of Eve's story was finished" -- LILI LOST IN A BOOK

"This is a perfect combination of YA, Horror, Paranormal and Fun!" -- BOOK LOVERS PARADISE

"I love love love Eve. She's a strong, awesome, female character that I would be delighted to recommend to any little girl. (No sexism at play here, boys will love this book too!)" — MUST READ FASTER

"I absolutely love this series and cannot wait to keep reading the fun adventures of Eve Hallows. Mr Gray has such a fantastic style of writing and his books are such fascinating tales, that everybody should read them for the fun factor. The topsy turvy lingo, adorable creatures and imaginative Gravesville, make one horrible book." — TURNER'S ANTICS


Purchase


robert grayAuthor Robert Gray

Robert Gray is a writer. If that job description doesn’t impress you, how about fantasy writer? Too general? Well, he doesn’t get insulted if you call him a horror writer. If horror’s not your thing, then scratch out horror and replace it with suspense. And for the kiddies, you can slap on a YA or MG in front of that title.

Gray lives in Bushkill, Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.

eve hallows tour

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Book Blast Giveaway Details

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 1/26/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



a Rafflecopter giveaway